Under the cover of night, Gu An decided not to continue investing his lifespan into cultivation for now. He planned to wait until he had reached Void Crossing Realm Stage 1 before pushing further. He was worried that the time required to absorb spiritual energy might be too long, and dawn would arrive before he finished. If his disciples noticed he wasn't in Xuan Valley, it would be troublesome.
As a series of notifications popped up, Gu An could clearly feel the spiritual energy of the earth surging upward like a tidal wave.
With a booming sound, waves of spiritual energy rose from the ground, tugging at his robes and messing up his black hair.
His body, however, remained rooted to the spot, as the spiritual energy surged into him like chains locking him to the ground.
This surge of spiritual energy far surpassed what he experienced during his Nascent Soul breakthrough, and even the ground beneath him was trembling.
He secretly felt relieved that he had activated his Lifespan Barrier. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to conceal his cultivation at all.
However, he suddenly became worried. Would such a commotion affect Tai Xuan Sect?
After activating the Lifespan Barrier, the spiritual energy wasn't coming from thin air but was being drawn from underground—the spiritual energy of Tai Xuan Sect itself.
A new suspicion rose in Gu An's mind.
Could his cultivation speed while using the lifespan evolution feature be influenced by the richness of the surrounding spiritual energy?
He thought it was highly possible. He recalled Li Xuandao—reaching Divine Transformation Stage 8 at only 230 years old was unbelievable.
When he compared himself to Li Xuandao, Gu An realized there was a vast difference. If Li Xuandao also had Heavenly Spiritual Roots, his advantages would be far greater than Gu An's.
As the emperor of the Tai Cang Dynasty, Li Xuandao could possess the most advanced cultivation chambers, the best pills for cultivation, and top-tier techniques. Additionally, there were formations, magical artifacts, and much more. These might explain why Li Xuandao could quickly overcome his tribulations.
When Zuo Yijian underwent his tribulation, there were numerous cultivators assisting him. In contrast, Gu An, during his lifespan evolution cultivation, had to endure the tribulation alone. In reality, failing a tribulation meant death, with no chance to try again every 200 years.
If he compared his lifespan evolution to Li Xuandao's achievements, Gu An would seem far behind. But that comparison wasn't fair.
In truth, Gu An was a 34-year-old cultivator at Void Crossing Realm Stage 1!
Could Li Xuandao reach Void Crossing Realm before the age of 300?
Was there anyone else in this world who cultivated so recklessly, enduring tribulations head-on with nothing but bare strength?
With this thought, Gu An felt much more balanced. The lifespan used in cultivation was just a number—the real cultivation achieved in reality was what truly mattered!
At the same time, he wondered whether he should consider cultivating techniques related to other elements or even search for a technique that focused on all five elements. This might allow him to fully utilize the potential of his Supreme Five Elemental Heavenly Spiritual Roots.
Rumbling echoed as the spiritual energy from the earth poured into his body, the sound growing louder and louder. Inside the barrier, a vortex had formed, and the five-colored spiritual energy was on the verge of drowning him.
...
Dark clouds gathered, gradually covering the bright moon.
In a certain estate, a pavilion stood with an oil lamp flickering on the table. Zuo Yijian, now with a head of white hair, sat in a chair holding a book. The words Investiture of the Gods were faintly visible on the cover.
"Golden light radiates from the top, five-colored clouds split the sky. Red lotus blossoms beneath his feet, traversing miles upon miles. The Eight Trigrams Immortal Garments bring purple energy, and the Three-Edged Sword is known as Qingping..."
Zuo Yijian muttered to himself, a nostalgic expression on his face.
He had been captivated by Investiture of the Gods for a few years, rereading it repeatedly. Each time he read it, he gained new insights. Although the book contained no cultivation methods, the depiction of immortal techniques fascinated him.
He felt that the book held hidden truths about the Dao, but he hadn't yet fully grasped them.
At that moment, Zuo Yijian suddenly sensed something. He sprang to his feet and turned his gaze to the ground.
The night was quiet, with a biting cold wind.
The sound of the wind was growing stronger.
The flame of the oil lamp on the table flickered wildly, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.
It wasn't just him—cultivators from all directions flew out of their estates and courtyards, more and more Outer Sect disciples gathering in the air above the city.
"What's going on? The spiritual energy is sinking!"
"You felt it too?"
"Could it be a demonic invasion?"
"That's unlikely. This is Tai Xuan Sect—who would dare risk their life here?"
"Could it be a massive formation activating underground?"
The Outer Sect disciples whispered among themselves. Ye Lan also flew out of her courtyard, nervously watching the streets below.
The night was dim, and more and more cultivators continued to gather in the sky. Those who couldn't fly gathered anxiously in the streets, worried and fearful.
Everyone could feel the spiritual energy sinking into the ground. Having never experienced such a thing before, it was natural that they were alarmed.
What worried them the most was that the rate of spiritual energy depletion was accelerating, and the city's spiritual energy was rapidly thinning.
Spiritual energy was the foundation of any sect. A great sect's strength was partly dependent on the richness of its spiritual energy.
...
In the forest, Gu An had already broken through to Divine Transformation Realm. His Nascent Soul emerged from within his body, floating above his head.
In the Nascent Soul Realm, cultivators could form a Nascent Soul, but it couldn't leave the body. If it did, the connection between body and soul would be severed, which is why Nascent Soul cultivators only let their souls leave their bodies when near death, in search of a new vessel to possess.
In the Divine Transformation Realm, however, the Nascent Soul could transform into a Nascent Spirit. The Nascent Spirit was a manifestation of the soul, and it could leave the body without severing its connection. Only those in the Divine Transformation Realm or higher could see a Nascent Spirit, unless the Nascent Spirit revealed itself intentionally.
Once the Nascent Spirit emerged from the Nascent Soul, the cultivator's divine sense underwent a complete transformation.
Gu An was immersed in this transformation. His Nascent Soul gradually bloomed into a green lotus, and his Nascent Spirit slowly rose from within, looking exactly like his true body, even down to the clothes.
However, the Divine Transformation Realm wasn't the end. Gu An was still pushing toward a higher realm, and the spiritual energy he was absorbing grew more and more intense. He noticed that the forest outside his barrier had begun to tremble slightly.
This made him even more anxious.
The disturbance was too great!
Gu An didn't dare let his Nascent Spirit leave the Lifespan Barrier, fearing that a Divine Transformation cultivator might notice this area.
There were definitely Divine Transformation cultivators within Tai Xuan Sect. After all, some of the powerful Outer Sect elders had reached Nascent Soul Realm, let alone the Inner Sect and the sect's main city.
He even suspected that the Tai Xuan Sect harbored Void Crossing cultivators—otherwise, why would Li Xuandao, at Divine Transformation Stage 8, conceal his true cultivation?
Time passed.
An hour later, Gu An had reached Divine Transformation Stage 9.
Suddenly, two figures flew overhead. Gu An glimpsed them with his own eyes and immediately used Lifespan Investigation.
Good heavens!
Two Nascent Soul cultivators!
Gu An grew even more tense, praying that no one noticed this forest.
The Lifespan Barrier could hide his presence, but what if someone happened to pass by?
Not long after, powerful cultivators continued to fly overhead, none of them weaker than Nascent Soul Realm.
It wasn't long before Gu An spotted several Divine Transformation cultivators, and not just one!
Gu An felt like he had stirred up a storm, and now that he was attempting to break through to Void Crossing Realm, the amount of spiritual energy he needed was immense.
This night was bound to be anything but peaceful.
It wasn't until dawn approached that Gu An's cultivation began to slow down.
Void Crossing Stage 1!
Reaching Void Crossing meant that his Nascent Spirit could roam thousands of miles, and his spiritual energy, divine sense, awareness, and vitality would all see a massive leap in power.
Gu An slowly stood up, the sunlight piercing through the heavens and shining into the Lifespan Barrier, illuminating his figure. As he gazed at the rising sun, a smile appeared on his face.
The immense spiritual energy within him made him feel almost omnipotent.
He deactivated the Lifespan Barrier and began walking back toward Xuan Valley.
Just maintaining the barrier had cost nearly 2,000 years of lifespan, which spoke volumes about how massive the disturbance was last night.
Now that his breakthrough was complete, the world returned to normal. However, the spiritual energy in the forest was far less abundant than the day before.
Even as a Void Crossing cultivator, Gu An couldn't estimate how much spiritual energy he had absorbed last night.
On his way back, Gu An saw several powerful cultivators flying through the sky. Since last night, he had already witnessed seven Divine Transformation Realm cultivators, a testament to Tai Xuan Sect's immense strength.
He quickly returned to Xuan Valley, stepped out of the pavilion, and gathered his disciples for their daily exercises.
"Master, last night the spiritual energy suddenly sank. Did you sense it?" Ye Yan asked, frowning as he recalled the event.
The other disciples chimed in as well. They were worried, fearing that Xuan Valley might suddenly collapse.
Gu An chuckled and said, "This is Tai Xuan Sect, the safest place in the Tai Cang Dynasty. How could anything collapse here?"
Hearing this, the disciples' concerns were somewhat alleviated.
Wu Xin speculated, "It could be related to some kind of formation. Perhaps a powerful cultivator in the sect was undergoing a breakthrough and required a massive amount of spiritual energy."
He had clearly experienced something similar in Thousand Autumn Pavilion but didn't want to mention it outright.
"Master, you seem different today," Zhen Qin said, staring at Gu An curiously.
Gu An rolled his eyes at her and replied, "You always say that I've changed. If you want me to teach you Remnant Wind Kick, just ask directly."
The other disciples couldn't help but laugh, and Zhen Qin, embarrassed, laughed along.
Once their exercises were finished, Gu An didn't return to his room. Instead, he walked toward the nearby forest.
In order to achieve his breakthrough, he had exhausted many of the spirit herbs. The yield for the next two years would be affected, so he needed to expand the fields and plant more herbs.
Sigh.
A Void Crossing Realm cultivator like him, reduced to planting herbs for others. Tai Xuan Sect should be grateful!
Gu An thought to himself with a hint of amusement. As he entered the forest, more cultivators flew overhead, which reassured the disciples in the valley. At least Tai Xuan Sect was paying attention to the situation and wouldn't ignore them.
By noon, Ye Lan returned to Xuan Valley.
After chatting with the disciples for a while, she managed to escape their eager company and followed Gu An up to the pavilion.
She shut the door behind her, closed the windows, and even took out talismans to place over the entrances.
Gu An looked at her nervously and asked, "Junior Sister, what are you doing?"
What should he do? Obey or resist?
Once Ye Lan finished placing the isolation talismans, she sat down at the table and poured herself some tea, saying, "Senior Brother, something big is happening. A Demon Lord might be approaching!"
Gu An froze in shock and then sat down, curiously asking, "Who is this Demon Lord? Which sect is he from?"